


On Top of Things

by SolarMorrigan



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen, Prompt Fill, Sensory Overload
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 17:18:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7516666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarMorrigan/pseuds/SolarMorrigan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He should’ve seen this coming, he knew. He knew things had been building up. And building up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On Top of Things

**Author's Note:**

> Filled [this](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/715121.html?thread=94467441#t94467441) prompt from Bite Sized Bits of Fic

Reid hunched over in his chair, leaning down far enough that his forehead touched the surface of his desk. He was tired and sitting at such an awkward angle made him a little dizzy, but it also blocked out the light of the bullpen, which was honestly preferable. He ran his fingers over the hem of his sweater, gripping and feeling and not caring that he was further stretching the distressed fabric; the others could make fun of his ‘ugly’ clothes all they wanted, but they served their purpose on days like today.  
  
Days like today when he was tired and split and his mind was so very, very done with everything. Bulky sweaters provided a weight on his frame that made him feel more secure, and the textures were the safest kind of stimulation he could fathom. He concentrated on the soft-rough-lumpy-smooth feeling of the hem beneath his fingers and on the cool desk against his forehead and on the firm chair he was sitting in and on nothing else. It helped.  
  
It helped that with his head down low and his shoulders near his ears, sound was muffled. There weren’t many sounds left now, it being so late in the day, but there were enough to make things difficult. And he should’ve seen this coming, he knew. He knew things had been building up. And building up. At the beginning of the day, noise had been jarring. By the end of the day, it was piercing his skin like thick needles, every unexpected sound bringing him a special kind of pain he was still unable to articulate to anyone else.  
  
Not that he really had to at this point. If you were going to occasionally succumb to sensory overload, best that you do it around people you’ve known for years and years- better yet, people you’ve known for years and years who have backgrounds in psychology and human behavior. They may not have understood what it felt like, but they understood that it was distressing.

And they understood it didn’t happen all the time and they didn’t treat him differently. And they unfortunately had mostly gone home for the day, so any hopes Reid had of bumming a ride off one of them (because that would have been so, so much easier than cramming himself onto the train, or sitting in an unfamiliar taxi cab) were slim to none.  
  
But he could just take a few more minutes like this and then- and then. And then call a cab and suck it up for the ride home and get some rest and tomorrow would be better. Right. He would do that. Any minute now.  
  
Reid drew a shuddering breath and nearly shrieked it back out at the sound of his name. “Spence?”  
  
Sitting back up quickly, Reid squinted through his swimming vision and found JJ standing at the head of the bullpen. Well he’d thought everyone had gone home. “Are you okay?” JJ’s voice was quiet, like she knew (she probably knew).  
  
Reid blinked. Considered lying. Considered how much he really didn’t want to actually speak right now. Reid shook his head. No, not okay.  
  
“Bad day?” JJ approached his desk slowly.  
  
Reid nodded. He might have felt childish under someone else’s gaze, but his friends- they knew. They understood, in their way. “Do you want a ride home?” JJ’s voice was on the border of sympathetic, but never pitying.  
  
“Yes, please.” Reid finally forced some words out; he figured he owed her that much.  
  
JJ smiled. “Glad I caught you, then. I was just heading out. Need a hand with anything?”  
  
Reid shook his head and grabbed his messenger bag. He liked how it felt beneath his fingers, too. JJ nodded and lead the way to the elevator. She chattered softly at him and it was nice. JJ’s voice wasn’t jarring, just a soothing flow of words Reid knew he didn’t have to follow if he didn’t want to. And maybe later he’d be embarrassed, but for now he was relieved- grateful. More days than not, Reid was on top of things. But some days, it seemed like everything was on top of _him_. But then there were people like JJ. Or Morgan. Or Hotch. And they understood, in their way, and Reid could just about convince himself that it was okay.


End file.
